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Chinese tourists cancel over 7000 rooms in Phuket after boat tragedy

2018/7/16 19:06:48

Around 7,300 rooms at 19 local hotels booked by Chinese tourists have been cancelled, causing over seven million baht in losses, following the Phoenix tour boat tragedy which claimed 47 of their compatriots’ lives early this month.

Kongkiat Khuphongsakorn, president of a southern hotel association, said yesterday the booking rate has fallen sharply by 80%-90% at Patong beach and by 50% across the province after the incident.

Besides Chinese visitors, hotel bookings have also been cancelled by foreigners from other countries, he said.

Mr. Kongkiat said the Phoenix tour boat disaster would affect Chinese tourists for the next three months but would only have a short-term impact on visitors from other countries.

“The damage is more than seven million baht based on 7,300 rooms costing around 1,000 baht each. However, the accident doesn’t only affect hotels but also other tourism sectors such as shuttle buses, tour boats and local shops. Chinese tourists often spend around 20,000 baht per person, per visit,” he said.